Method of molding counters



Original Filed June 2., 19315365 Ell titl

original application tiled lune lt, latttl lldnti.,

This invention relates lto a lnetlaod oit nialting inanutactured counters tor bootsl and slioes. rllie invention is especially useiiul in, but is not restricted to, tbe manufacture ot inolded counters tliat are designed to give support to tire longitudinal arcli et tbe loot ot tlle wearer ot tlie slioe into vvliicli tliey are built.

'llie novel wing-type count/er produced by tbe inetliod liereinatter described is disclosed and claiined in applicants cio-pending application ltor llietters Patent et tlie United dtates llerial lilo., ltldtt)9 tiled dune 2, 1926 trent vvliicli tbis present vapplication is a division..

lll'liile counters tor titting tbe lieel part ot tlie last llave been niolded by inacliinery tor lnany years perliection laas not yet been attained in tlie production ol2 counters ot suela lengtli at tlie inner side as to torna a ltorvvard .wing vvliicli overlaps, in greater or less de grec, the concavity ot tlie last at tlie inside sbanl; or belotv tbe instep. oit the wearer oit tlle slice. Those sltilled in tlie art well understand tlie ditliculties encountered in attempting to last an upper along tlie inside sbanlr oit tlie slice vvlien tlie upper is rcintorced by a stid, substantially itat counter 'vt/ing llt tlie upper, because ol tbe presence beneatli it of an unniolded or only partially molded counter Wing, cannot be contorined to tbe sliape et tbe last at tbe instep tben tlie completed slice will bulge out or otliervvise be distorted at this liiglily important part ot tlie sboe and vvill not enliibit to View tlie true style oi tbe last 'vvliicli bas been designed ivitli great care. lurtlierniore the sboenialter cannot even be sure that tbe tvvo sboes et aeingle pair will be alike after lasting. tlucli a slice, especially ist Worn by tliose troubled with pes planus or it tlat toot l ivliicli requires tor its reliei a drin support oli the longitudinal arch ot tlie toot, will add discoin'fort ratlier than cointort'because tot titl

in suoli naanner to produce counters ol" tbe tiellttl lilo ldltlfltttd.

type liaving a tortvard wing tliat lvvill be tree troni tbe detects and disadvantages just described, i. e. suoli a degree ot peri'ection vvill be attained in tbe lnolding tbereozt tliat tliere will be no necessity olu a material inanipatlation ot tbe instep portion ot tile counter, during the lasting operation, to bring it into its linal and desired relation to tlie lines oit tlie instep oi.i the last vvliicli it overlaps.

llo tlie accomplishment ot this object a practice oit the nietliod liereina'tter set tortli produces .a counter ol' tlie type liaving a lorn K ward Wing, at tbe inside at least, cln-u'acteil ized by a torna and sliape imparted to it dur ing the process out its inanuitacture tbat tvill snugly tit tbe contour et tlie last tvliicli it embraces and naore especially closely ling tlie surlace oit tlie last at tlie inside sbanlt during tlie turtlier processes et inalring tlae slice.. tdlrilled sboenialrers will recognise tliat a counter ot tbe type described liaving tlie cliaracteristics delined will add aluality9 accuracy and perfection to sboeinalring as at present practised, because its use Will overcoine all irregularity and laclt ot unillorrnity lieretot'ore present in slices oit tlie saine or style into ivliicli Wing-#type counters are built) due to tlie beretolibrel present laeeeeity ot shaping tbe 'forwardly projecting portions ot such counters, to seine entent at least, during tbe lasting operation.

Accordingly tbe present invention consists win the nietliod oit inalring counters, tlie prelier-red inanner ot practising Wliicli is liereinatter described and tlien defined in its true scope in the appended elairns.

ln understanding ot tlie rnetliod vvill be assisted by relier-ence to tlie accompanying drawings, in Wbicli:

Figure l is a viewa in plan, ot a blank itor a counter adapted to botli inenis and ivonaenb shoes; lFig. 2 is a view in perspective, olf' a counter molded ltrona tlie blanlr et Fig. l in a-nianner to tit tlie lieel end ol tlie last and provide a lieebseat dange; tl is a vievv.,

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ldlll in perspective, oat tlie counter oir" lllig. t?, altter l tlie iinal step in tbe process oit lnanutacture lias been performed, nainely9 shaping tbe lion Ward Wing at the inside to eractly lit tbe contour ol tlie last to tvliicli it is later to be applied; llig, 4l is a view in side elevation9 ct tlteneounter otilfig. tl illustrating tlic pouw llllllll sition of the counter when built into a shoe. AThe counter illustrated by Figs. 2 to 4 is for a right shoe and the point of -view is from the outer side of the shoe; Fig. 5 is aview, inplan and on a smaller scale, of a blank for a counter adapted to womens pumps; and Fig. 6 is a View, in perspective, of a molded counter for womens pumps embodying-the novel feature of the present invention. In the embodimentof the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawing a counter blank 2 of a material having the required strength to receive the molding pressure and to thereafter retain its molded Shape without reinforcement, is produced by dinking to a contour which will provide, when bent for introduction to a counter molding machine, a forwardly extending inner wing of such length as to overlap a portion, at least. of the-instep of the last. The material of which the counter of the present invent-ion has been formed is known commercially as fibre and is a manufactured product but a practice of the process is not limited to any particular material. The composition of this material is well known, and after the shredded fibre which forms the body of the composition and other ingredients of the formula have been thoroughly mixed into a consistent mass, this mass is sheeted, compressed to the desired thickness and after drying becomes fibre board. This fibre board is dinked to the desired shape for wing type counters and the blank is usually provided with a mark or nick 3 to indicate the center of the heel andis then skived on one face or the other in accordance wit-l1 the desire of the shoe manufacturer. The figures of the drawing all illustrate counters for a right shoe so that in the blank of Fig. 1 the portion 4, to theleft of the mark 3, will form the outer side of the molded counter and the longer portion 6, tothe right of the mark 3, will form the inner side thereof.

A The first operation in the process of manufacture of a molded counter from the skived blank 2 is to pass-the blank through rollers shaped' to cup the blank slightly forming what is known as a clam. shell. 'This crimping Aor rolling operation, while not essential, shapes the blank slightly for fitting better within the heel part molds of a counter-molding machine ofthe type illustrated in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,138,123, granted May 4, 1915 to Roswell A. Lancey. The next ope-ration comprises bending the two sides 4 and 6 toward each other about the mark 3 as a central point and placing theV bent counter on the preferably hot center mold block of the machine whereupon this mold block is moved upward between the two preferably vhet side mold blocks which simultaneously fclose inward uponthe blank. It` will be understood that the blank is tempered before pressure is applied and that the mold blocks are' interchangeable for molding counters to fit all sizes and styles of lasts. The depth of the mold block is less than'the depth of the lcounter and the second manufacturing step by the machine comprises wiping the projecting lower margin of the counter inward against the face of the inner mold block lo form a heel-'seat ange 8. The counter at this stage of its manufacture is illustrated by Fig. 2, and itwill be observed that while the heel portion has been finally shaped and the heel-seat flange '8 is perfectly formed along the lower margin of the outer side 4 and at the center, it is imperfectly formed along the inner side 6. T he heel-seat flange along the lower margin of the inner side l merges into the substantially straight, lower edge 9 of the forward or instep wing 1o produced, in this instance, by the elongated or extended inner side of the counter. The partially completed counter, illustrated by Fig. 2, is then completed by an additional molding step which is concerned solely with the portion of the Counter which produces the instep overlapping wing 10 at the forward end of the inner side 6 of the molded heel portion.

This final or wing molding operation preferably, but not necessarily, performed in another specially designed counter-molding machine which comprises essentially a mold block 4having a molding face shaped like the contour of the inside shank of the last, for the particular size and style of the shoe in which the counter is to be used, and a complemental mold block. Such support is given to the partially completed counter of Fig. 2 as will enable the forward wingr 10 to be held between the two molds in such manner that it can be molded thereby into the form, and position relatively to the heel end of the counter, that it must have in the completed shoe if it is to perform its proper function and add quality and perfection to shoemaking. Thereupon the two mold blocks are brought together, one at the inside and the other at the outside of the wing 10 which is still in temper, and the pressure is maintained long enough to permit the fibre of the molded wing to set and permanently hold its -new position. shane and form.

After the second molding operation the counter has the form of Figs. 3 and 4. The heel-seat flange 8 is perfectly formed throughout the entire lower edge'of the heel end of the counter, both the side4 and end portions lying in substantially the same plane (see Fig. 3); but the contour of the last at the inside shankfthat has been permanently impressed intol'the forward wing 10, has flared this wing both outwardly and downwardly relatively to the plane of the heel-seat flange 8 (see Fig. 4) thus providing sired sha e, .and thereafter ap lyi'n pressure to broth sides of said instlfl Wiing by means of a mold block inside o the wing having a molding face shaped like the contour of the insi e shank of `the last anda mold block outside of the Wing having a molding face complemental to the molding face of said mold block inside 4of the wing. 5.,The method of making counters whiei comprises producing a blank shaped to provide a forwardly extending wing at at least one side of the heel portion thereof, molding the heel portion of said blank to fit the heel end of a last While leaving the forwardl extending Wing portion incompletely mold, ed, and completing the counter by molding the 'incompleted wingportion to substantallvthe contour of the shank portionl of the last which it is adapted to overlap.

6.`The method of making counters'which comprises producing a blank shaped to provide a heel portion and also an inner wing portion of such length as to overlap the inste portion of thelast, completely molding said lheel portion to fitthe heel end of the noemen last While onlyl partially molding said instep wing, and then, as a separate operation, completing the molding of the Wing to lit said instep portion of the last.

7. The method of making counters which comprises producing a blank having one straight edge and one curved edge and of suflicient length toembrace the heel ond of the last and to overlap the instep portion of the last, molding one portion of said blank to lit the heel end of the last, and thereafter molding the remaining portion of said .blank in a manner to flare it out- Wardly relatively to the molded heel part ERNEST C. BLACKW'ELL. 

